Building a survival kit

[Viper]

As the title states, I am creating my own survival kit for hiking, camping, hunting, etc. It is pretty much mandatory to have a knife in such a kit, but I am stumped as to which knife to put in. It has to be lightweight, compact (while still being large enough to use), with good edge retention. The blade also should be a useful style (so most clip-points are out, among others). Locking blades are reccomended. Also, it would be preferable if it had a lanyard ring. Another factor, which isn't quite as important is cost.

I've narrowed it down a bit to four knives. All four are, coincidentially, CRKT-

-KISS
-PECK
-KISS Two-timer
-Edgie


They all have their pros and cons, I'll edit this with those later, I must go.

[WhichDawg]

why not a mora? they do the job, are comfortable, and so inexpensive.
you lose it, break it, forget about it and it's no big deal.

[Leatherman123]

I second that! Those CRKT knives you mentioned have really small blades!

[Grant Lamontagne]

A good read for anyone interested in building a PSK:

http://www.sosakonline.co...w&id=89&Itemid=35

Def

[Viper]

Rude Version- 
Mora knives have an apparent lack of foldability, which inhibits them being put into a case approximately thirteen centimeters long.

Nice version-
Sorry but I need folding knives. I don't think Mora makes folders, I checked.
 
And thank you for the link, Def. I have seen it before, but I had forgotten about it!
____________

Pros and Cons:

KISS:
P-
Lanyard ring
Compact
Large blade compared to size of the knife itself
Large enough handle
C-
Tanto blade not especially useful in a survival situation
Handle may get a bit slippery, due to smooth, tapered design

PECK
P-
Blade more adept to survival situation than KISS
C-
Much smaller, hindering grip and blade size

KISS Two-Timer-
P-
Has both blades from the KISS and PECK
Large handle
C-
Considerable thicker than the two former knives
Weight is almost doubled
The most expensive (the others are all between ten and twenty dollars from American retailers, this one is almost forty)

Edgie-
P-
Largest blade of all four options
Self-sharpening allows me to leave out a sharpening stone
C-
Much larger than the former options
No lanyard ring
No lock
__________

By the way, the purpose of this thread was to find the best knife for the purpose that I need. And I am 100% open to suggestions, however, they have to fit inside the case I have.

By the way, the only one of these knives that I have experience with is the KISS, so if anyone has any experience with the others, I would like to know your opinions.

[ducktapehero]

If I were looking for a single blade lockback knife for a survival bag I'd probably get a Spyderco Military. If I couldn't afford that and needed something cheap I'd probably get a Buck 110. They're not the fanciest knife out there but they are solid knives that will take abuse.

[Mike Micklea]

Buck also makes some nice inexpensive folders... Check out the Omni hunter line...

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

What do you plan to use the knife for?, it you need it for splitting wood or shelter construction, very few folders have lock's that would stand up to the sort of abuse that a survival situation would place on them (ie battoning wood).

Personelly I'd go with a Vic, or Wenger Sak with a saw blade, as it would be far more useful in a survival situation

But if your hearts set on a folder, then any of the larger spydie's are a safe bet, especially the Manix and the Military models

A Buck 110 would be a safe bet too.

[Sea Monster]

OHTs seem popular.

Ibbersons make nice lockbacks, utterly no-frills.

Why not a Vic Soldat? If it's good enough for the Military it should be good enough for you, locking or non. (Same rule applies to the OHT)

[Viking]

I don't have a folder in my PSK, I just don't trust them in a survival situation.  I have a Bark River PSK. 

Here's a review:  http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/785310/

[NutSAK]

I stash Victorinox Lumberjacks in my PSKs.  They don't lock but they're built on the 84mm frame, and thus are a very compact solution with a good set of tools.  As with all SAKs, they're also very easy to sharpen.

The one pictured here doesn't have toothpick and tweezers, but most do, and would be a better choice for a PSK.

[BIG-TARGET]

Though I love my stayglow SAKs, if you're not into them, how about this little beauty???
http://www.leatherman.com...ves/h502-h503/default.asp

[GMArthur]

I believe the original poster is looking for something small enough to fit into an altoids sized tin.

 Spyderco makes a tiny knife called a LadyBug. 111mm in length closed and uses VG-10 steel which I really like.

 Benchmade has the Benchmite which is about 73mm closed in length and uses a china equivalent of 440C which is OK. If you can find an older USA made one in 154CM it will be alot nicer.

 Either of these makes a great little emergency knife to keep in a PSK.

As far as your CRKT choices I can't comment as I've never used any of them. I'm not really a fan of their products.

[Viper]

I don't think you guys are understanding what this knife is for. It is going into a small, plastic, waterproof case and will be carried everywhere when hunting, hiking, camping, etc. It is a last ditch kit, and anything in it has to be extremely small and light. The Buck 110 is out of the question, as are most of Buck's other knives. The only Victorinox knives that lock would be much to large. I will, however, look into some of the Wenger Evo models as some evidently lock.

The contents of this kit are only going to be used when everything else has been lost. I have no idea what it will be used for. With luck, I will never have to use it.


Pretty much anything thicker than a Soldier is too big, which is why the Edgie is only hanging on by a thread.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I don't think you guys are understanding what this knife is for. It is going into a small, plastic, waterproof case and will be carried everywhere when hunting, hiking, camping, etc.

Have you considered a Cold Steel Bowie knife?  

Sorry, couldn't help it!    

Seriously, I would consider some of Wenger's line with the PackLock feature.  At 85mm they are almost the same size as Victorinox's smaller models like the Waiter and Lumberjack.  There are also more options in Wenger's 85mm series than there is Victorinox's 84mm lineup.

Another option would be to consider some of the smaller keychain type models, like the Victorinox MiniChamp or Wenger's Pocket Tool Chest as these would give you more options and you could bring two knives in the space of one, allowing you to keep one for clean jobs like food prep and one for dirty jobs.

If anyone concerns themselves about the usefulness of such small blades, I'd like to point out that a SOSAK member field dressed a deer with a Victorinox Classic, so in a survival situation the only thing you wouldn't be able to do with it is cut away brush like a machete or chop wood.

Def